Knesset backs West Bank annexation in 71-13 vote
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In a 71-13 vote, the Knesset endorsed annexation of the West Bank, calling it an “inseparable part of the Land of Israel.”
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An Israeli occupation soldier body searches a Palestinian man in the West Bank urban refugee camp of Tulkarm. Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammad)
The Israeli Knesset passed a symbolic, non-binding resolution today declaring the West Bank "an inseparable part of the Land of Israel." The measure received overwhelming support with 71 members voting in favor and 13 against, reflecting unprecedented unity within the right-wing governing coalition and drawing backing even from the opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu.
Advanced by Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, Likud MK Dan Illouz, and Yisrael Beiteinu MK Oded Forer, the resolution urges the application of Israeli "sovereignty" and legal administration to all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which "Israel" calls Judea and Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.
What the vote entails
Although the measure carries no legal force, its timing, just before a three-month parliamentary recess, signifies growing political momentum for annexation. The motion follows a similar Knesset vote in 2024 against the establishment of a Palestinian state and builds on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s ongoing campaign to institutionalize control over the West Bank.
In recent months, bills have been advanced to annul Jordanian law in the West Bank and officially recognize settlements as independent municipalities. Notably, in March 2025, 13 settlement localities were split and recognized as separate entities. Likud ministers also pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement "sovereignty" measures before the Knesset break.
The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the resolution. Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior official and deputy to President Mahmoud Abbas, labeled the vote a "dangerous escalation that undermines the prospects for peace, stability, and the two-state solution." He called it "a direct assault on the rights of the Palestinian people," warning that annexation would institutionalize unequal rights between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.
Sheikh urged the international community to respond by recognizing a Palestinian state and taking steps to counter "Israeli" violations.
Extent of 'Israel's' de facto control in the West Bank
"Israel" currently exercises full civil and military authority over Area C, which comprises approximately 61% of the West Bank. However, its de facto control extends further, including through settlements, military zones, and a network of checkpoints and barriers.
As of 2025, more than 700,000 settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Al-Quds, with 147 official settlements and 224 outposts. Settlement regional councils oversee roughly 70% of Area C, and military zones account for another 30%, severely limiting Palestinian movement and development.
Various reports estimate that between 42% and 45% of the West Bank is under direct Israeli control or encircled behind the separation wall, underscoring the extent of the occupation despite the absence of formal annexation.
Smotrich has intensified efforts in 2025 to accelerate annexation. He has proposed increasing the settler population by 500,000 and has directed settlement authorities to lay the groundwork for full sovereignty.
